Goalkeeper sparks Maryland by Navy, 10-6

ANNAPOLIS -- It was no big secret in college lacrosse. Th University of Maryland had a strong attack, an aggressive midfield, physical defensemen and suspect goalkeeping.

But yesterday, Maryland goalkeeper Steve Kavovit showed he had made progress and was drawing as many compliments as the rest of the Terps units.

Kavovit, a junior from Yorktown, N.Y., was outstanding in No. 7 Maryland's 10-6 victory over Navy before 2,674 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Kavovit, who entered the game with 62 saves but having allowed goals, recorded a shutout in the first half and finished with 16 saves.

Five saves were from point-blank range, including two that came off caroms directly outside the crease.

"I'd love to talk about him," said Maryland coach Dick Edell. "This is a kid who has gotten better every game working with assistant coach Tom McClelland [a former All-America at Loyola College].

"He was great today," said Edell. "I have never seen him better and I don't know if he can play any better. I hope so."

Not only was Kavovit good in the nets, but several times he came out of the goal to stop fast breaks and clear the ball. He controlled the tempo on Maryland's defensive end.

Offensively, Maryland (6-2) had little trouble with Navy (4-4), as senior attackman Rob Wurzburger scored three goals, moving into third on Maryland's all-time scoring list with 118. Senior attackman Rob Douglas had a goal and two assists for the Terps. Senior midfielder John Quinn led Navy with four goals.

The win kept Maryland, already a strong favorite, in the playoff picture, but the Terps still have Johns Hopkins on Saturday, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament April 26 and 27 at Duke, which features No. 1 North Carolina and No. 5 Virginia.

Meanwhile, Navy's playoff chances became almost nonexistent after yesterday's loss.

"It's not worth talking about," said Navy coach Bryan Matthews, whose team is rebuilding season after losing two of the top scorers in the academy's history a year ago.

"If you win the big games, you get in the playoffs. It's that simple," said Matthews. "We hustled and played the type of game we needed to win. We just had to capitalize better on our scoring opportunities."

Navy still has to play Georgetown, No. 9 Towson State and No. 3 Johns Hopkins.

Edell said: "In our two losses, we played our best games and lost to the best teams in the country. I don't know what the Johns Hopkins game will mean to our playoff hopes.

"We're going to take it day by day and see what happens," said Edell. "I can't ask anymore of this team. They have performed well all season."

Maryland played well in the first half, outshooting the Middies, 19-8, and controlling four of five faceoffs. Terps midfielder Blake Wynot gave Maryland a 1-0 lead with 2 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first period on a 30-foot, one-bounce shot from the right of the goal.